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DrGtrAl ltARKn0oM 2009
lmage Processing & 0utpul $pecial
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Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Corel Painter Essentials 4
Epson Stylus Pro 7880
Microtek ArtixScan Ml
Phase One Capture One 4
. Spyder3Elite/Pro
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A SOURCE NTEFLINK IMEOIA PUBL CATION
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Make Your "Colorblind"
Computer See As You Do
Datacolor's Spyder3Elite/Pro And Print Profiling Products
rf /ou read the headtine right-that
l/I new. off-Lhe-shetf com0uter vou
I jusr bought is colorbl'ndl Even
though your computer sends RGB cotor
information to its display so colors will
appear on the screen, the computer does
not know what cotors its user is seeing.
That seems like a contradiction, uniess
you realize that personal computing
hardware and software grew like topsy
through the disparate efforts of many
different competing companies who had
littte reason to cooperate and agree to
merely the barest, essentiaI standards.
In fact, it was onty recently that the
major players Uke l,licrosoft, Adobe, and
Apple sat down together and formed
the ICC (InternationaI Cotor Consortium)
to agree on a universaI diqitaI color
standard. But even with that, every
devjce-Uke an LcD disptay, a scanner, a
printer, as we[[ as components [ike video
cards-reproduce what is referred to as
"device independent" co[or. And even
though the same RGB data numbers are
fed to each device, the color reproduced
is different. That is why your computer is
"btind" to the very color it reproduces.
You may not reahze it but you have
the means to teach your computer how
to see. In both f4icrosoft Windows
and Apple operating systems, buitt-in
software witl facilitate what's known
genericatly as "cotor management."
The color management system is ver,
sjrnpte. It accepts files catted "profites,"
which are the resu[t of measuring
the color a devjce like a dispLay or
printer reproduces, then comparing
those measurements to the iCC cotol
standards. The profite defjnes the
variations frorn that standard so the
computer knows exactty what you are
seeing on screen plus what shoutd result
92
July 2008
SHUTTERBUG
(Abovel The nsry Datacolor Spyder3
colodmeter is smaller and sleeker, providing
more convenient handling. ll ir accompanied
by a srnall, unobtrusive pedestal stand so
the sensor may be located on a d6ktop
close to a display to contiluourly noritor
the ambi6nt llghtlalling on the scro6n. Thi6
aids In adiusting output podoflnance to
accommodate change! itr tho working
light envhonment.
{Righ0 Looking at the back or burin636 slde
ot the Spydoa3 colotimeier, the actual aroa ot
the sensor light intal€ i6 significantly larget
than the Drcvious model, whil€ lhe attachment
suction cup for CRT attachmentis singular,
reduced relative to the Drevious model. The
larger ar€a otthe light receptor, combin€d
rith the Spyd€r's soven llght Een.ors, nakos
measurcment moae accurate.
in prints made wit- a o'ofiled printer.
In this review we'Ll look at the new
Spyder3E[te/Pro and Prjnt products.
They are the next-jmproved and
refined-generation of the most poputar
profi[ing devices and software avaitabte.
New F€atures
After the
ICC was
formed and a color
,Landard was agreec -oor, Adobe was
the fr'rst software cor.,pany to make
avajlabte a product trat ,'/outd actualty
"transtate" betweer tclo' devices [ike
scanners and Drinte'!.
-'e
Droduct:
The Spyd€r3Elite is designed tor th€ way
photographers wor|( and is eapable of
calibrating and proflinS CRTS, LCD!, notebook
comput€r scrcens as w6ll ai computor-d vel
proiecto,s. Th. Spyder3 can measureth6
ambient light talling on a icrean and it can
be used to contin0ously monitor the woak
llght enrironment and edjust tho display
to compensate tor cha[gos, Tho price of
the Spydor3Elite ls 5279. There ir also a
Spyder3Pro that is deslgned tor iorious
photographers prlced at 5169.
':. :,:-'
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-
Photoshop Versjon 5.5. Photographers
had to use their visual perceptjon
to adjust a cotor photograph to an
ideal ba[ance, so the monitor was the
center around whjch the who[e system
had to function. thus the monitor's
color characteristics had to be known,
measured and recorded, and become
a part of the transLation to get
predictabte cotor results from input
through processing to output.
ToJay, too littte recognition is gjven
to the few smatl companies that came
together as ColorVision, now Datacotor,
and produced the fjrst Spyder rnonitor
measuring device and jts easy-to-use,
wjzard-driven software, a[[ at a price
indivjduat photographers coutd afford.
With the profites the Spyder produced.
Adobe's Photoshop coutd be used to
manage cotor with precise translation
between a[[ profited devices, input
and output. This latest set of Spyder
products js the thjrd generatjon of
the technotogy. improved in accuracy
Although there is an Easy mod€ for using the Spyder3Elite software, the software wizard also off€rs an
Expert Console that supports dofning th€ €xact ain points the calibtation should achieve. Thus, you can
accommodate specific needs as well as exactly match the output performance of multiple displays, even
attached lo different cornputer sysiems.
and efficiency, applicabte to more
dev'ces f'o.n otder CRTs lo ICD displays,
Laptops, and computer-driven digitaI
projectors. Even easier to use for
the novice while also offering many
more advanced control functions, and
considering inflation in the [ast decade,
Spyder3 is even more affordabLe.
With Spyde13 ihe range of products
jncludes two versions of the Spyder3
screen measuring and profi[ing
adjust a disptay for changes in room
ilt.rmiration, or to provide a specific
measure of ambient light to guide a
user to adjust the [ighting environment
if that kind of controI is available.
To facjtitate room Liqht monitoring
hardware/software packages, and
Spyde13Print, which is an equalty
been made simpler by having just one
suctjon cup for CRT profi[ing and a
effective hardware and software
package for measuring and profiling
print output. The Spyder3Studio
cornbjnes both display and print
profi[ing in one package at a most
agreeab[e cost for what is offered.
The Spyde13Etite is Dataco[or's
top-of-the-tine dispLay profiling device
and software jntended for professionaI
users. The sensor is smaler in overa[[
size, and rnore easjty adaptable to jts
now extended uses. but with a much
[arger sensor area with more effjciency
ano speed i- reading from its exclusive
seven-sensor design. The Spyde13 now
has ambient room sensor capabitity,
which can be used in two ways,
either to continuousty monitor and
94
.July 2008 SHUTTERBUG
to measure the output of a
digital projector, the Spyder3 comes
with a smal[ separate base pedestaI
with a bujtt-in trjpod socket. The
as wet[ as
actual use of the Spyder3 sensor has
more effective counterwejght
with
to
use
LCDs.
The Spyder3 wjzard software js also
more efficient, providing a very easy
option that requires just foltowing
and responding to brief, on-screen
instructions to automaticatty ca[ibrate
and profile your display. There are also
more advanced options providing more
specific control-no\a in just a single
screen window access-for users with
specific requirements and needs. To
periodicatly recaljbrate a disptay once
the jnitial calibration and profiting is
done, a new ReCAL optjon has been
added to make perjodic proofing
maintenance even easier and faster.
0nce a user has made a display profite
To accommodate the advanced user,
and those who need to Droduce matched
pertormance with more than one display, the
Inlormation read.out dialog provides specific
results b.fore and after calibration for all
dimensions of display psrformance.
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there is a new SpyderProof function
with very much improved "before and
after" image guides to evatuate specific
kjnds of screen performance, [ike
comptexion tones or btack and white
The one serious detraction I found
in using the new software is the use
of a btack background for the screen
design. Atthough I understand the
raiionale for thr's-accurate screen
I fl2-
bia:i [imits
tateral light bleeding-1 see fo Teason
a btack surround could not be popped
up onty for the reading funciion,
altowing a more neutral medium gray
for the other screens. This ,,rould
measurement because the
make
text reading clearer and
to fottow by most users, and
easier
vvould
not provjde the false exaggeration of
color briltiance in the finaI before and
)/YDllcl't
rllt!
First introduced as the colorvision
Full Golor Balance Lens
"W hen l' m ph otograph
o
FrintFli
PRo, the print profiling complementof
the Spyder3 line is a highly developed
and refined method of producing crstom
printer profles. lfound it both €asier to use
and more accurate in obtaining a precise
calibration of a printer's output petformance
This has been accomplished by making th.
spectrccolorimeter reading device more
sensitive and controllable a6 well ai a
provision to mak6 r€ading th6 t6st print chart
color Dalches fastor and mor€ accutate.
ing
million dollar breed, the
color in the markings has
Th6 Spyder3Print hardrare and
to be accurote. using this
CBL guorantees
thot my
colors will be perfect."
" Norhing
el\e (ont es
clote to the
-
John Woodward cR-photographer,
AD{.1(r/1414
amazon.com.
July 2008
SHUTTERBUG
after evatuation of SpyderProof.
CBL
black
APl. EA-A5P
NELsoNPHoro
BH (5"-v'.c"-*.t
{i{frsis
& athe I
96
softrare
does notjust advantag€ precise color profile
pe ormance but, rdth the optional Ext€nd€d
Glays test chart combined wilh the color chart
data, produces a profile rrith more precis€ly
contrclled neutral tones and better conlrol ot
the color tone of black and white prints
as well,
rel..t.rthotne
a a hatootoDhk
te.att.
t
t
just reminds
The
me of so many earty,
badly designed, stereotypjcatLy clich6d
websites of the earty Internet years.
Spyder3Print developed as a
complement to display calibration and
profiting with the company's PrjntF]x
PR0. The Spyder3 iteration of PrjnIFIX
PR0 no,r includes an easier handling
measLrjng device, inctuding a physical
gujde that makes reading test print
color pat.hes both faster and more
accurate. Fcr many photographers the
latesi Ce.:topment in Spyder3Print wrl
resLrlt '- : far more refined neutraI gra
prof'[: ::':'mance. This more refjned
gray neutrality, besides assurir;
.teaner cotor, free of mi'lo'co - ,
makes reproducing a gray scale fjr:
converted to RGB more a(curdte. ,, '
printers tike the Epson R2400 and
Canon PTXMA Pro9500, addi"lg t,Le :=j
Gray catibration to a profite provider
more refined print tone contro[.
It
also makes printing black and white
,vjth a neutraI gray without a color
cast possibte wjth photo-quatity jnkjet
printers that have no specific support
'or btack and white printing. using "..
colors of ink.
The bottom tine is that
photographers usjng Datacotor's Spyder3
for both disptay and print profi[ing can
now enjoy consistent, retiab[e cotor
performance with accurate[y refined
profiles at both ends of the process,
from disptay to finaI print output.
But, you say, I have printer profites
supptied by the printer manufacturer!
Unfortunatety, canned printer
profiles witl onty get you in the
battpark, not to home plate. Printers
are mass-produced devices and
each one has its own character and
personatity. It's [ike renting a car. You
choose a make and modeI because itl
the same as the car you own, and get
jn and drive away to find it feets and
drives nothing [ike what you are used
to with your own car.
At the end of the day, color
'r'ranagemenL with a Spyder3 for your
display and Spyder3Prjnt can pay for
itsetf, especiatty as you make more
and more prints. It reduces or even
eliminates unexpected prjnt resutts that
would otherwise require you to throw
a print jn the round fjte, and virtuatty
etiminates printing by triat and error.
PhotoglaI
Cameras and Accessories
_
quality Drodu.b
ud *Ri@
sitr@ 1992
-
Evaluation & Recommendation
From the many e-maits I receive
from readers, the most frequent
probtem I am asked to respond to is
why a photographer's print output is
not the quatity they hoped for and
expected, usuatly in terms of what they
see disptayed on screen. Many of the
messages are accompanied by [anguage
that indjcates the photographer is
fairty new to digjtat photography and is
somewhat disappointed their computer
SHUTTERBUG July
2008
97
'.itr"$"lJ
'il*1rr.-llt{it3Li&r&l1ilirril&:
doesn't produce perfect jm ag es
automatica[ty. Sadty, they have probabty
than worthwhile investments. They are
atso much less demanding of time and
learning than many things in digitat
photography. And if you make very
seen too many movies where computers
seem to be human-[ike and abie to
read the user's mind to produce perfect
many prints, especialty larger ones.
the system wiLl pay for itseLf jn ink
and paper saved by not having to make
pnnts over to get them right.
resutts, as if by magic. Frankty, a
computer is a dumb machine that needs
instructions, jn detail, for everything
it is asked to do. That's especia[[y true
Hor
when
do you know once you have made
a profil€ tor
eithorlho Spyder3 dlsplay
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151 Bow€ns lnternalional
Brandess,lGlt (3200 AdDC LANCERLTGFm
193 Brandess/Kait (LIGHT BANKSI
194 Brandess4(alt (EXCALIBER)
190 BlandesgKalt (PELICAN SOFT SIOED CASES)
197
241
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156 Calumel
LATEST
154 Caluhet
162 Calumet
164
169
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Photo Producls{CALUI\,IETPHOTO.COM
OFFEBS)
Pho|o PrcdUcIs (HUNTEB FREEMANI
Phoro Poducls (JEFF DOW-Si€mens tuF
Caiumer Pholo Producls wYAtT [,tcspADDEN)
Calumer Photo Pbducrs IBF|AN KUHLMANNI
Canon limaoeANYWAREJ
Canon IEOS 3OD)
Canon USA {CHBOMA LIFE 100)
Canon USA(DIGITAL LEAFNING CENTEF)
Canon {EOS-1DS MARKlll)
canon USA(EOS 20D)
64
9
212
28
34 Canon USA{EOS BEBEL SEBIES)
91 Canon (imaoePROGMF- LUCTA tNKt
24O Canon USA {CAMEMS/LENSES)
22 Chim€ra (CATALOG)
14 ContempoBry Fami)
201 Cotlase l,lills
1 67 Denai Diqial Transler SeMc€s (MOV|ES. SLTDES
TAPES, E PBINTS)
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101 Eashan KodaK (ULTIIVIATE PICTUFIE PAPER\
160 Easrman Kodak (PROFESSTONAL POFTRA FtLNtl
([-MAX 400 FtL[,4)
232 Easrman
37 Epson '(odak
111 Epson (STYLUS PBO 3800)
1al Epson (1400 PHOTO PRINTEFI
229 Epson (STYLUS Bl90O PBINTER)
170 Euneica (ACOLENS)
75 Expohaging (WHITE BALANCE)
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01der y0u1 uoduGt informaton frum
98
July 2008
SHUTTERBUG
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qt: gooJotografx
@ g m oi l.com.
108 P€y€qoa Tecnnoboie!
60 Phasa One
25 Pholoo€nic Pdessional Uohtino
? Phoioaraohers Edo€ TCATALOdI
16 Phodrabh€E Forinularv (CATALOGI
260 PMosrapheis Warehouae
78 PhoToPOSTOS (CUSTOM FOSTCABDS)
30 Pierce Co. (CATALOG)
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7 Hi-Touch lmaoino T€chnolooies
12 HP
85 HP
86 HP
128 HP
32 HP
88 HP
102 HP
96 HP
125 HP
Mad€rndtcEpEr
ltai@rn6 IGFEAi GEAF *1r
[,1arkern6 iGFEAT GE4F s2i
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I'/ i(€IiNO {HP MARKETING)
Madclini IHELIOPANI
MaAerin6 {GIOTTOS)
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l,larierino NOr'OFLOO
['ANCIN6 (NO/OFLEX-TFUE BLUE BELLOIVS)
143lnlerfil
250 Inr€rnarional Suppti€s
90 JTL CoD- (MOBILIGHT OC$O0)
I71 JTL (VER$ALIGHT D3)
173 JTL (MOBILIGHT€EBIES)
243 Ki EnreFdses (PBECIS|ON PEFFOBMANCEI
257 Kudandpholo.com
137 Leg'on Paps (MOAB PAPEn)
213 Itedia
202 Nik l\rultim€dia (PLUG tN FTLTEBS)
228 Nik Sonwa€ (COLOF EFEX PFO 3.01
130 Nikon (DzX DlclTAL)
144 Nikon (D70 DlclTAL)
136 Nikon (NIKKOB LENSES)
Cotlt)
133 Nikon (PBO DIGITAL SYSTEI',4)
139 Nikon (SB-800)
181 Nikon (O80)
214 Nikon (D3
218 Nikon (O3o0)
17 Noman (NOFIMAN ML400 & ML600 [,|ONOLIGHTS)
262 Noiman (44008)
195 OPiIech (CATALOG,
8l Om€aasalter (COK N
126 Paul0. Butf (AL EN tsEEsr
24
224
223
245
PaulC. Buff(WHITE L GiTN NG)
PaulC. Bufi {FADIO ajSH
Paul C. Bufl aVAGABO,D
Paul C. B'Iil (FINGFL{Sf
148 Paul C. Buff (ZEUS
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219
Pode/s Cam€ra Sro€ (CATALOG)
Poder Case (CATALOG)
Po Pholo
Plo Sludio SuDDlv (CATALOGI
Ouanrum Indninienls (TUBaO 2x? BATTEB|ES)
Ouanrum Instrumenrs (QFLASH rtd's)
Quantum lnstruments IQFLASH sd'sl
Quantum Instrumenls frunBo scsLtM)
Ouantum lnstrunrents (QNEXUS)
Quanrum Instruments (OFLASH itd-B)
Ouick Pro Came|. Guides (aUlCK PRO)
F.T.S.. lnc.
B.TS., Inc. (HADLEY BAG)
R-Tg, Inc- (EWA-MAFINE HOUSTNG"UNOEFWAIER PHOTOS)
Foallv Biohl Sluil
FiE eam-eE Sto€ (CATALOG)
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244 Sa!€g€ Un^€lsal ColP. {tNFlNtry CANVAS)
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106 Naneu Pro (CATALOG)
172
227
207
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155 Michel Co. (CATALOG)
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253 Miclown Pinl ns (SHOBTFUNPOSTEFS
261 Mol€ Bichardson Liqhho ICATALOG)
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186 Lc,wel-Usht (LOl /ELEGO)
21s Lumrqus-$ {SOFT SCFEENI
216 Lumiques {FLASH)
225 Lumhuesl (BlG BOUNCE)
236 Lumiqu€sl (BoUNCE KIT)
255 Lumiquesl (LUMIOUEST FX)
10o l,lasier Mount ICATALOG)
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David Brooks can be reached via
e-
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Rd_,
Lawrencevitte, NJ 08648;
(800) 554-8688; www.datacolor.com. @
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124 Boisn lma6ind tnc.
1,r0 Bocon
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8066r lmaoino
lmadind lnc.
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12 B€aan CarneE of Maine
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For more information, contact
0igital Cotor Solutions, 5 Princess
management.
matched to what I expect from what
see on screen, the Spyder3Etite/Pro
display and the Spyde13Print are more
226 Aibble Labs
50 BogBn (GrZO)
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I
94 Alb'imx Colp- (RENAISSANCE)
4 Alzodioital.com
118 American Coior lmaqino TMEMOFY BOOKS)
231 Anlhropcs
(wwwPoETRAtTPROFESS|ONAL.COM)
211 B & H
57 Backdroo Orlet
97 Backdrcp
Backdrcb Outlet
OLxlet (CATALOG)
ICATALOGI
comes
In terms of the satisfaction of
getting print output tfat is predictabty
colodmetor or a printer wlth Spyd6,3Print?
SpydorProot ptovidos a acrcen iot ot tost
imagos for critical examhatio[ that can
.l.o bs uiod to make a print to test the
pedormanco ot a pdnter profrle made
Yrith Spyd€€Prlnt.
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110
166 FoNJerls
199 Shamics (IABLFIOP STUDIO)
Sioma (FLASH) cataloo
SEna (LENS) iEraroqSiqma (5014) cataloo
S&ma iDPl l c€taloo163
109 Smith-Viclor
259 Smith-Victor {LlcHTlNG EOUIPI,IENT)
274 Sony (A AIPHA)
Sr[€o.de6m -
99 Speedolrcn (MORFISI
117 SPEEdOlmN (4{HANNEL BADIO FLASH TFIG.
GER)
161 Speedotron (LIGHTING KIT SPECIALI
179 SPEEdCNON EXPLORER I5OOD POBTABLE)
222 Splash Modia (xTMtN)
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273 Sup€riof Sp€cialties
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135 Tamrac (L4icosync)
205 TamEc (CLASSIC CAMEM BAGS)
205 TamEc (CLASSIC CAMERA BAGS)
2s6 Tam,ac (ADVENTUFE 10 BACKPACKSI
4! THK Phoro Prcducls (SLIK)
46 THK Pholo Products (HOYA)
47IHK (-IOKINA)
147 THK (KENKO)
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66 UCB
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115 V sb/e Dlsr (CATALOG)
237 whte Holse Cuslom Color (WHCC)
HEFE
36 xP fna%lD.s (LITESHAPER)
t[ese aduenisers today! see facing [usiness lelly
Gard
{|rS ALL
t0
01de1!